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DECEMBER 2022 13 BY JEFF WHITE T he 2022 NCAA Tournament was memorable for many reasons, not the least of which the Virginia Cava- liers' absence from the field. Last season marked the first time in nearly a decade that UVA didn't earn an invitation to the Big Dance. In 2012-13, the Wahoos' fourth season under head coach Tony Bennett, they advanced to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals, and they reached that round again in 2021-22. In between, Virginia participated in every NCAA Tournament that was held and won the national championship in 2019. "Last year was maybe not to what our standards usually have been," Bennett said in October at the ACC's annual media day, "but we played a lot of big-time games, won some great games, got some postseason experience — so that was good." Even so, the Hoos' target is always the NCAA Tournament, and they're motivated to return to the big stage this season. "Absolutely," associate head coach Jason Williford said. "We're not used to not being in the tournament. It was great to be able to continue to play in the NIT and get some valuable game experience, but we want to get back [to the NCAA Tournament]. "But we don't want to put the cart before the horse. We've got to get back to what we do, get back to being bet- ter defensively, and hope- fully we can make a few more jump shots." From a team that fin- ished 21-14 last season, the top six scorers are back: forward Jayden Gardner (15.3 points per game), guards Armaan Franklin (11.1) Kihei Clark (10.0) and Reece Beekman (8.2), and post players Kadin Shedrick (6.9) and Francisco Caffaro (4.3). To that core, Virginia has added five new- comers: graduate student Ben Vander Plas and a highly regarded first-year class com- prised of Leon Bond III, Ryan Dunn, Isaac McKneely and Isaac Traudt. Bond, a tremendous athlete, is a 6-foot-5 swingman. Dunn and Traudt are forwards who stand 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, respec- tively, and McKneely is a 6-foot-4 guard. Dunn has the potential to be an elite de- fender, and Traudt and McKneely arrived with impressive credentials as 3-point shooters. "Last year our depth wasn't great, and we probably didn't shoot the ball at the level we needed to, so we tried to improve in those areas," Bennett said. "Experience is golden, I think, in college basketball, and we have that." That's an understatement. For start- ers, consider the résumé of Vander Plas, a 6-foot-8 forward whose father played with Bennett at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Vander Plas transferred to UVA last spring from Ohio University, where he spent five years and earned two master's degrees (as well as All-Mid-American Conference honors). In March 2021, Vander Plas totaled 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Ohio upset UVA 62-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. "He's complete, he's a competitor, and he can score the ball," Williford said. Vander Plas, 24, is the oldest player on the team, but nobody on the roster has logged more minutes as a Cavalier than the 5-foot-10 Clark. As a first-year in 2018-29, Clark played a pivotal role in Virginia's run to the NCAA title, and he entered this season with 539 career assists, the fifth most in program history. "Obviously, Kihei and I have been to- gether forever," Bennett said, smiling, "which is a good thing." "It's been great," Clark said. "I think it's been really hard, but it's been some of the best years of my life." Early in his college career, Clark said, he never would have dreamed he'd still be at UVA in 2022-23. "But COVID happened, and I got blessed to be able to come back." Gardner, a 6-foot-6 forward, and Franklin, a 6-foot-4 guard, joined the program as transfers last year. Gardner spent his first three seasons at East Carolina University, and Franklin played at Indiana University as a freshman and sophomore. In addition to leading the Cavaliers in scoring last season, Gardner was their top rebounder (6.4 per game) and shot 50.1 percent from the floor. He was named to the All-ACC third team. After a year in Bennett's system, Gardner said, he feels more comfortable, especially in the Cavaliers' trademark Pack Line defense. "Things are slowing down for me," Gardner said. "I'm just getting accustomed to it and knowing where to be, and also encourag- ing the young guys as they go through their first year, because I just went through it … I'm excited for my growth on the other end of the court." Franklin shot only 29.6 percent from 3-point range for the season, but he found his touch in the NIT, making 12 of 22 attempts (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Like Gardner, Franklin has a much better grasp of Ben- nett's system this year. "One hundred percent, and I think it goes for every guy that's been in the program," Williford said. "Just having a year of experi- ence under their belt will make them better." ALL REVVED UP ALL REVVED UP Cavaliers Aim To Use Accelerated Development From Trip To Italy, Challenging Early Schedule To Book A Return To The NCAA Tournament " Last year our depth wasn't great, and we probably didn't shoot the ball at the level we needed to, so we tried to improve in those areas. Experience is golden, I think, in college basketball, and we have that." HEAD COACH TONY BENNETT